Piping for underground storage systems



March 15, 1960 c. w. HUBBELL PIPING FOR UNDERGROUND STORAGE SYSTEMS Fil ed May 11, 1953 IN VEN TOR. BY tfWbwbbell fl d ga7,

ATTORNEYS I United States Patent PIPING FOR UNDERGROUND STORAGE SYSTEMS Charles W. Hubbell, Bartlesville, Okla, assignor to Phil- 'lips Petroleum Company, a corporation of Delaware Application May 11, 1953, Serial No. 354,306

2 Claims. (Cl. 61-.5)

This invention relates to underground storage systems. In a further aspect this invention relates to an improvement in underground storage systems whereby loss of storage space and loss of stored fluids is prevented.

This application claims an invention disclosed in the copending application Serial No. 314,541, filed on October 13, 1952, for an Underground Storage System, now abandoned.

Recently there has been increased emphasis on the problem of fluid storage and, more particularly, on the advantages offered by' underground storage systems.

Constantly expanding production of liquefied petroleum of caving and sloughing off of the earth and rock surrounding such caverns, thereby creating the possibility of the loss of storage space and of the loss of stored fluids. The advantages of low initial cost and low maintenance will be negatived to a considerable extent if such losses are permitted to occur.

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved system of underground storage.

It is a further object to prevent loss of storage space.

and stored fluids due to caving of the earth surrounding underground storage systems.

Various other objects, advantages and features of this invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a vertical, sectional view, partiallyin elevation, of the improved underground storage system of this invention.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken along the line 22 of Figure 1.

Referring now to the drawings, Figures 1 and 2, an embodiment of the improved underground storage system of my invention is illustrated. It is to be understood that my invention is applicable to underground storage systems generally and. that there can be many arrangements of storage caverns.

Central shaft 1 extends from the surface of the earth to a region adjacent to underground storage caverns 3, 5, 7 and 9. Header tunnels 11 and 13 connect central shaft 1 to a region adjacent to the inlets of said caverns. Central shaft 1 has a metal liner 15'and a liner head 17, attached thereto, to seal the storage system from the atmosphere. Means 19 for introducing fluids to be stored in said caverns, and a fill pipe 21 therefor, are disposed above the surface of the ground and within 2,928,248 Patented Mar. 15, 1960 central shaft 1, respectively. Means 23 for withdraw ing said fluids from storage is disposed in the lower regions of central shaft 1, and a withdrawal pipe therefor extends from means 23 to above the surface of the earth.

Branching from header tunnel 13 are inlet tunnels 27, 29, and 31 extending from header tunnel 13 to storage caverns 5, 7 and 9, respectively. Disposed in header tunnels 11 and 13 are header pipes 33 and 35, respectively, header pipe 35 being connected to inlet pipes 37,

39 and 41 disposed in inlet tunnels 27, 29 and 31, re-

spectively. Thus is provided a network of pipes communicating from within the storage caverns to central shaft 1 and should the caverns or tunnels containing said network of pipes become choked or blocked to any extent by caving or sloughing off of the earth surrounding the caverns and/or the tunnels, loss of storage space and/or fluids is prevented. In the case of cavern 3, header tunnel 11 has a header pipe 33, as shown, providing communication to central shaft 1 for the same purpose.

A feature of the network of pipes provided herein which maintains communication between the caverns and the central shaft is shown in Figures 1 and 2 whereby the inlet pipes extend'upwardly into and within the caverns. In Figure 1, pipe 33 is upturned within cavern 3 to above the maximum calculable height of debris which-accumulates in said cavern due to caving of the earth surrounding said cavern. In Figure 2, inlet pipes 37 and 39 extend upwardly into caverns 5 and 7 also ,7

to above the maximum calculable height of debris which accumulates therein due to caving of the earth. Thus, the network of pipes serves to maintain communication between the caverns and the shaft despite closure of the tunnels due to caving of the earth.

As will be apparent to those invention is applicable broadly to underground storage systems and many variations of piping arrangements may be made effectively. Obviously, suchmodifications and adaptations will be Withinthe scope of my invention.

I claim:

1. An underground storage system having improved protection against loss of storage capacity due to caving comprising an underground storage cavern adapted for the storage of volatile liquid therein, a shaft extending from the surface of the earth to a region adjacent the lower portion of said cavern, conduit means within said shaft and extending from the surface of the earth to the lower portion or" said shaft for introducing and with drawing said liquid to and from said lower portion of said shaft, a tunnel connecting the lower portion of said cavern with the lower portion of said shaft thereby establishing open communication for free flow of said liquid between said cavern and said shaft, said tunnel being susceptible to blockage from caving of the surrounding earth, and'a pipe of substantially smaller cross section than said tunnel Within said tunnel and extending substantially along the bottom thereof from said shaft into said cavern, the end of said pipe within said cavern being turned upwardly and extending to a point within said cavern a short distance above the floor there- 'of sufiicient to reduce materially the possibility'of debris within said cavern blocking said pipe, said pipe provid-v ing open communication between said cavern and said shaft independent of said tunnel, said pipe and said tunnel simultaneously providing open communication between said cavern and said shaft under normal operation in the absence of caving, and said pipe having at least sufficient size to permit necessary passage of said liquid therethrough in the event of blockage of said tunnel from caving.

2. An underground storage system having improved,

skilled in the art, my

protection against loss of storage capacity due to caving comprising a plurality of underground storage caverns adapted for the storage of volatile liquid therein, a shaft extending from the surface of the earth to a region adjacent the lower portions of said caverns, conduit means within said shaft extending from the surface of earth to'the lower portion of said shaft, a plurality of inlet tunnels, each inlet tunnel forming an entrance into the lower portion of a storage cavern, a header tunnel connecting said inlet tunnels and the lower portion of said shaft thereby establishing open communication for the free flow 01" said liquid between said caverns and said shaft, said'inlet tunnels and header tunnel being susceptible to blockage from caving of the surrounding earth, inlet pipes of substantially smaller cross section than said inlet tunnels Within said inlet tunnels and extending from said header tunnel into each cavern, the

'cnds of each inlet pipe within each cavern being turned upwardly and extending to a point within each cavern a short distance above the floor thereof sufficient to reduce materially the possibility of debris within said caverns blocking said inlet pipes, and a header pipe of substantially smaller cross section than said header tunnot within said header tunnel substantially along the bottom thereof and connecting said inlet pipes with said shaft, said inlet and header pipes providing open communication between saidcaverns and said shaft independent of said tunnels, said inlet and header pipes and said tunnels simultaneously providing open communication between said caverns and said shaft under normal operation in the absence of caving, and said inlet and header pipes being of 'at least suflicient size to permit necessary passage of said iiquid therethrough in the event of blockage of any of said tunnels from caving.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS OTHER REFERENCES Engineering News Record, December 27, 1945, pages 61-64. V 

1. AN UNDERGROUND STORAGE SYSTEM HAVING IMPROVED PROTECTION AGAINST LOSS OF STORAGE CAPACITY DUR TO CAVING COMPRISING AN UNDERGROUND STORAGE CAVERN ADAPTED FOR THE STORAGE OF VOLATILE LIQUID THEREIN, A SHAFT EXTENDING FROM THE SURFACE OF THE EARTH TO A REGION ADJACENT THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID CAVERN, CONDUIT MEANS WITHIN SAID SHAFT AND EXTENDING FROM THE SURFACE OF THE EARTH TO THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID SHAFT FOR INTRODUCING AND WITHDRAWING SAID LIQUID TO AND FROM SAID LOWER PORTION OF SAID SHAFT, A TUNNEL CONNECTING THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID CAVERN WITH THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID SHAFT THEREBY ESTABLISHING OPEN COMMUNICATION FOR FREE FLOW OF SAID LIQUID BETWEEN SAID CAVERN AND SAID SHAFT, SAID TUNNEL BEING SUSCEPTIBLE TO BLOCKAGE FROM CAVING, OF THE SURROUNDING EARTH, AND A PIPE OF SUBSTANTIALLY SMALLER CROSS SECTION THAN SAID TUNNEL WITHIN SAID TUNNEL AND EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY ALONG THE BOTTOM THEREOF FROM SAID SHAFT INTO SAID CAVERN, THE END OF SAID PIPE WITHIN SAID CAVERN BEING TURNED UPWARDLY AND EXTENDING TO A POINT WITHIN SAID CAVERN A SHORT DISTANCE ABOVE THE FLOOR THEREOF SUFFICIENT TO REDUCE MATERIALLY THE POSSIBILITY OF DEBRIS WITHIN SAID CAVERN BLOCKING SAID PIPE, SAID PIPE PROVIDING OPEN COMMUNICATION BETWEEN SAID CAVERN AND SAID SHAFT INDEPENDENT OF SAID TUNNEL, SAID PIPE AND SAID TUNNEL SIMULTANEOUSLY PROVIDING OPEN COMMUNICATION 